Walking-props for mining galleries

ABSTRACT

A friction-type walking-prop system is provided for use in protecting tunnelling machines in mining galleries and drifts. The system has at least two sections joined together by doubleacting shifting jacks. Each section comprises double-acting loadbearing props which support a cross member. Each section is provided with means for enabling it to apply a pressure to the roof, when being shifted, the shoes of the load-bearing props beings at this time out of contact with the wall of the gallery.

United States Patent 11 1 Alacchi WALKING-PROPS FOR MINING GALLERIES [76] Inventor: Georges Alacchi, Villa Saint-Joseph rue Jules Ferry, Frais Marais 59500 Douai. France [22] Filed: June 5, I973 [21] Appl. No.: 367,132

[52] US. Cl 61/45 D [51] Int. Cl E2ld 15/44 [58] Field of Search 61/45 D; 299/11, 31, 33; 9l/l70 MP; 248/357 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3240,022 3/l966 Mills et all 61/45 D 3,564,857 2/1971 Von Hippel 61/45 D 3 640 574 2/1972 Von Hippel 61/45 D June 24, 1975 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,030282 5/1958 Germany 6l/45 D 938,974 lO/l963 United Kingdom 6l/45 D Primary E.raminerDennis L. Taylor Atromey, Agent, or Firm-Eyre, Mann & Lucas [57] ABSTRACT A friction-type walking-prop system is provided for use in protecting tunnelling machines in mining galleries and drifts. The system has at least two sections joined together by double-acting shifting jacks. Each section comprises double-acting load-bearing props which support a cross member, Each section is provided with means for enabling it to apply a pressure to the roof, when being shifted. the shoes of the loadbearing props beings at this time out of contact with the wall of the gallery.

9 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN 24 ms SHEET PATENTEDJUN 24 I975 ,890.7 saw 4 92 flag.

s lama WALKING-PROPS FOR MINING GALLERIES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Walking-prop systems of the kind used for protecting tunnelling machines in cases where protection is necessitated by the poor quality of the walls, generally consist of a certain number of frames made up of vertical props which rest on the wall through shoe plates and which support horizontal cross beams.

The system is shifted by loosening one of the frames of the system and shifting it by means of one of the shifting jacks pivotally connected on the one hand to the non-loosened frames and, on the other hand, to the loosened frame which is to be shifted. Once the loosened frame has been shifted, it is tightened again.

These systems have the serious disadvantage that they weaken the roof of the gallery by subjecting it to the well-known phenomenon ofpumping, i.e., to numerous, alternate compressions and decompressions.

The principal object of the system according to the invention is to obviate this disadvantage and to provide a walking support for mining galleries of drifts in which considerable pressure is applied to the roof during shifting to prevent pumping" of the roof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a walking-prop system for mining galleries comprising a plurality of successive sections connected by double-acting shifting jacks, each said section being a roof support frame and comprising double-acting load bearing props, shoes carried by the load-bearing props, and adapted to contact a wall of the gallery, a cross roof beam supported by the said load-bearing props, and pressure means for enabling said section when being shifted, to apply a pressure to the roof when the shoes of the load-bearing props are out of contact with the floor of the gallery.

The shifting of one section is preferably obtained by shifting jacks pivotally connected to two consecutive crossbeams (cross cap members). During shifting, the shoes of the load-bearing props leave the wall, the cross cap member being shifted continuing to be kept in contact with the roof by applying to it a pressure derived from the action of the supporting jacks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an elevation of an embodiment of the system according to the invention, whilst FIG. 2 is a view on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the gallery.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the shoes of the load-bearing props with the crossbeams assumed to have been removed.

F IGS., 4, S, 6, 7 and 8 represent the different phases involved in the shifting of the system.

FIG. 9 is a plan view, with the crossbeams assumed to have been removed, of a tunnelling machine to which the walking-support system according to the invention is adapted.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are different sections through the plan view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a view, with the cross beams assumed to have been removed, of another tunnelling machine to which the same walking-support system is adapted.

FIG. I4 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 13.

LII

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a first embodiment, such as illustrated in FIGS. I and 2, the system is designed to protect any type oftunnelling machine 1 of which it is independent.

The system comprises two roof support frames each made up of double-acting hydraulic load-bearing props 2 and 2a which rest on the floor of the gallery through the shoes 3 and 3a and which support crossbeams 4 and 4a. The two crossbeams 4 and 4a of each of the roof support frames are connected by shifting jacks 5. Each of the crossbeams 4 and 40 can be extended by front and rear shields 6 and 6a, and kept in contact with the roof by jacks 7 and 7a. Jacks I0, 11 and 10a, Ila are pivotally connected to each of the two crossbeams 4 and 4a at points 8, 9 and 8a, 90, respectively. The jacks 10, II and 10a, Ila will be referred to hereinafter as supporting jacks. In addition, these supporting jacks are pivotally connected to shoes 14, 14a, M!) at the points I2, 13, 12a and I311.

The pivots 8, 9, 8a and 9a are arranged at distances from the upper ends of the load-bearing props 2 and 20 smaller than those separating the pivots l2, 13, 12a and 13a from the lower ends of the load-bearing props 2 and 2a, so that, since the load-bearing props are vertical, the supporting jacks I0, 11, 10a and Ila are slightly inclined, the lower ends of the supporting jacks l0 and being slightly ahead of their respective upper ends, whilst the lower ends of the supporting jacks II and Ila are slightly behind their respective upper ends. All these pivots are of the cardan type.

The shoes 14 and 14a are connected by connecting jacks l5 pivotally connected at 16 to the shoe I4 and at 17 to the shoe 14a. The shoes 14a and 14b are also connected at to the shoes 14a and at 17a to the shoes 14!; by connecting jacks 15a. All these pivots are again cord-operated.

The crossbeams 4, 4a and the shields 6, 6a can be covered by cushions 18 of water under pressure which are themselves covered by strip steel.

FIG. 3 shows all these components in plan view, the crossbeams being assumed to have been removed in the interests of clarity. FIG. 3 also shows correcting jacks 19 and which join the shoes 3, l4 and 30, I41: and whose function is explained hereinafter.

The way in which the system functions can be understood from FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 and 8 which show the various phases involved in the shifting of the front support frame section, the shifting of the rear support frame section being identical. FIG. 4 shows the two sections before shifting, the props being braced between the roof and the floor. By means of the connecting jacks, IS, the shoes 14 are advanced by a distance equal to the shifting step. As a result, the supporting jacks I0 take up a more inclined position (FIG. 5). The connecting jacks 15 are then blocked. The doubleacting props 2 are loosened which lifts the shoes 3, taking them out of contact with the floor (the correcting jacks 19 are shown in this position in FIG. 5).

On completion of this phase, the shifting jacks S which rest on the rear, non-loosened frame, are actuated to advance the crossbeam 4 and the front shield 6 which are supported solely by the supporting jacks l0 and 11. The jack 10 and II are under pressure and thus apply a considerable pressure to the roof during shifting through the crossbeam 4 and the shield 6, the jack 10 being compressed. The release of the jack I0 is maintained at a pressure equal to the high pressure of the hydraulic circuit network by a regulating valve, whilst the jack H is extended, the fluid at the high pressure of the network being admitted to the major surface of the piston throughout the entire duration of shifting. It can be seen that, during this operation, the shoes I4 and Ma are kept immobile by the action of the connecting jacks l5 and a which are kept in a blocked position.

FIG. 5 shows the beginning of the shifting operation. FIG. 6 shows the end of this operation. The correcting jacks l9 enable the position of the load-bearing props 2 to be adjusted. Once this has been done, the loadbearing props 2 are extended, so that the shoes 3 are brought back into contact with the ground, as shown in FIG. 7.

In order to bring up the rear support frame section, the shoe 14a is first of all advanced by the action of the connecting jacks 15a, the connecting jacks 15 being in the release phase. Once this has been done, the connecting jacks I5 and 15a are blocked, as shown in FIG. 8, the subsequent procedure being the same as for shifting of the front section, as explained above.

As explained earlier on, the system in the embodiment which has just been described is independent of the tunnelling machine which it is designed to protect. In other embodiments, the system is connected to the tunnelling machine which it is designed not only to protect, but also to propel and block, the operation of the supporting system remaining identical with that described above.

One of these embodiments is shown in FIGS. 9, 10, l l and I2. It can be seen in these Figures that the front supporting jacks H] are connected to the base plate of the machine which thus performs the function of the shoes 14 in the first embodiment. It is for this reason that the base of the machine is denoted by the same reference numeral 14.

The various components are the same as in the previous embodiment, although different in number, the connecting jacks l5 and 15a, the holding jacks 10, 11 and 10a, 1 la the correcting jacks 19, the shoes 3 and 3a of the load-bearing props 2 and 2a and the shoes 14, 14a and 14b.

The base 14 carries a turret designed to rotate about a spindle 20a perpendicular to the base 14 under the effect of a jack 2!. An arm 23 is pivotally connected to this turret about a pin 22 perpendicular to the spindle 20a, the arm 23 itself being pivoted in two sections about a spindle 24 by the action of the jack 25. The front part of the arm 23 carries a coal cutter 26.

The products driven out by this cutter are loaded on to a frontal conveyor 27 which delivers them laterally on to a transfer conveyor 28 as shown in FIG. I2 which shows different vertical sections of the plan shown in FIG. 9.

The frontal conveyor 27 is connected to the base (shoe 14) by jacks 29 which are designed to impart to it a reciprocating movement required for loading.

FIG. 13 shows a second of these embodiment in which only the kind of machine is different but in which the components are the same as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9, 10, II and I2.

As in the preceding embodiment, the two supporting jacks II] are connected to the base I4 of the machine. This base carries a turret 20 designed to rotate about a spindle 20a perpendicular to the base I4. This turret carries an arm 30 which is pivoted at 31 and which is designed to rotate under the effect ofjacks 32. The arm 30 carries a coal cutting chain 33 and a mushroom'type cover 34, as already known. The arm 30 carries a scraper 35 equipped with a chute 36 through which the products are delivered on to a lateral conveyor 37.

The system according to the invention can be used not only for protecting tunnelling machines, have just been described, but also for other mining drifts, especially those known as longwall drifts. In this case, there is no tunnelling machine inside the system. Various units are simply placed side by side along the coal face which in addition is equipped with a cutting machine and with conveyors whose technique is now well known.

We claim:

I. A walking-prop system for mining galleries, of the type adapted to be kept in contact with the gallerys roof during shifting and comprising at least a front roof support frame and a rear roof support frame both arranged one behind another in the direction of advance, each of said support frames being constituted by a plurality of double-acting load-bearing props, a shoe carried by the lower-end of said load-bearing props and adapted to contact the floor of the gallery, a cap member connected to the upper end of said load-bearing props and adapted to contact the roof of said gallery, at least one double acting shifting jack disposed between said front and rear support frame and connecting the opposite ends of the cap members of each of said support-frames, wherein each support frame include at least a double acting supporting jack placed in front of the corresponding support-frame and pivotally connected on its upper end to the cap member of said support-frame and on its lower end to a front base shoe in contact with the floor of the gallery and also a double acting supporting jack placed in the rear of the corresponding support-frame and pivotally connected on its upper end to the cap member of the corresponding support-frame and on its lower end to a rear base shoe in contact with the floor of said gallery, and wherein the front base shoe and the rear base shoe of each supportframe are linked together by a connecting jack.

2. A walking-prop system comprising a pair of from support frames and a pair of rear support frames as claimed in claim I wherein said front support frames are disposed at a certain distance one besides the other and linked together by a common cross cap member, and wherein said rear support frames are disposed at a certain distance one besides the other and linked together by a common cross cap member.

3. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim I, wherein the supporting jack at the front of each support frame slopes downwards towards the front from the corresponding cap member towards the floor of the gallery, whilst the supporting jack at the rear of each support frame slopes downwards towards the rear from the corresponding cap-member towards the floor of the gallery.

4. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim I, wherein the rear base shoe of the front support-frame constitutes also the front base shoe of the rear support frame and is placed as intermediate base shoe between said front and rear support frames and wherein the rear supporting jack of said front support frame and the front supporting jack of the said rear support frame are pivotally connected to the same intermediate base shoe.

5. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim I, wherein a correcting jack is pivotally connected to the load-bearing props supporting shoe and to the rear base shoe of each support-frame.

6. A walking-prop system comprising a pair of front support frames and a pair of rear support frames as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support frames of each pair are disposed, at a certain distance, one besides the other and linked together by a common cross cap member and wherein the front base shoe of each from support-frame is constituted by a common front base plate supporting a mining machine.

7. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the common front base plate carries a turret adapted to rotate about a spindle perpendicular to said base plate and provided with an arm which is pivotally connected at one end to the turrent along an axis perpendicular to said turret and to its longitudinal axis and which supports a coal cutting machine.

8. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a conveyor is disposed in front of the front base shoe of the front support frame and is linked to said front base shoe by jacks.

9. The combination ofa plurality of walking prop systems as claimed in claim I, the combination comprising a plurality of the aforementioned systems arranged parallel to one another and side by side.

* lfl 

1. A walking-prop system for mining galleries, of the type adapted to be kept in contact with the gallery''s roof during shifting and comprising at least a front roof support frame and a rear roof support frame both arranged one behind another in the direction of advance, each of said support frames being constituted by a plurality of double-acting load-bearing props, a shoe carried by the lower-end of said load-bearing props and adapted to contact the floor of the gallery, a cap member connected to the upper end of said load-bearing props and adapted to contact the roof of said gallery, at least one double acting shifting jack disposed between said front and rear support frame and connecting the opposite ends of the cap members of each of said support-frames, wherein each support frame include at least a double acting supporting jack placed in front of the corresponding support-frame and pivotally connected on its upper end to the cap member of said support-frame and on its lower end to a front base shoe in contact with the floor of the gallery and also a double acting supporting jack placed in the rear of the corresponding support-frame and pivotally connected on its upper end to the cap member of the corresponding support-frame and on its lower end to a rear base shoe in contact with the floor of said gallery, and wherein the front base shoe and the rear base shoe of each support-frame are linked together by a connecting jack.
 2. A walking-prop system comprising a pair of front support frames and a pair of rear support frames as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front support frames are disposed at a certain distance one besides the other and linked together by a common cross cap member, and wherein said rear support frames are disposed at a certain distance one besides the other and linked together by a common cross cap member.
 3. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting jack at the front of each support frame slopes downwards towards the front from the corresponding cap member towards the floor of the gallery, whilst the supporting jack at the rear of each support frame slopes downwards towards the rear from the corresponding cap-member towards the floor of the gallery.
 4. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear base shoe of the front support-frame constitutes also the front base shoe of the rear support frame and is placed as intermediate base shoe between said front and rear support frames and wherein the rear supporting jack of said front support frame and the front supporting jack of the said rear support frame are pivotally connected to the same intermediate base shoe.
 5. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a correcting jack is pivotally connected to the load-bearing props supporting shoe and to the rear base shoe of each support-frame.
 6. A walking-prop system comprising a pair of front support frames and a pair of rear support frames as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support frames of each pair are disposed, at a certain distance, one besides the other and linked together by a common cross cap member and wherein the front base shoe of each front support-frame is constituted by a common front base plate supporting a mining machine.
 7. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the common front base plate carries a turret adapted to rotate about a spindle perpendicular to said base plate and provided with an arm which is pivotally connected at one end to the turrent along an axis perpendicular to said turret and to its longitudinal axis and which supports a coal cutting machine.
 8. A walking-prop system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a conveyor is disposed in front of the front base shoe of the front support frame and is linked to said front base shoe by jacks.
 9. The combination of a plurality of walking prop systems as claimed in claim 1, the combination comprising a plurality of the aforementioned systeMs arranged parallel to one another and side by side. 